Magnhild Oddsdatter buys land at Berg in Toten
DN 2/776 · 30 July 1447 · Hof
What the letter says
The lawman Ingemar Jensson and the lagrette men Peder Bentsson and Sigurd Guttormsson announce that they were at the parsonage at Hoff in Toten on 30 July 1447. There Gunnhild, with the consent of her sons Olav, Sindre and Lavrans, acknowledged that she had sold two havseldebol of land at Berg in Åsmarka in Toten to the well-born Lady Magnhild Oddsdatter. Gunnhild had received full payment and was satisfied.
The letter in modern English
To all men who see or hear this letter, Ingemar Jensson, lawman in Opplandene, Peder Bentsson and Sigurd Guttormsson, sworn men of the lagrette in Toten, send God's greeting and their own, and make known that we were at Hoff in the said Toten, at the parsonage, on the Sunday after St Olaf's day (30 July) in the year of our Lord 1447. We saw and heard that Gunnhild [her patronymic is illegible] acknowledged before us that, with the consent of her sons Olav, Sindre and Lavrans, she had sold to the well-born woman Lady Magnhild Oddsdatter two havseldebol [a land-rent unit, uncertain interpretation] of land at Berg, which lies in Åsmarka in the said Toten, and that she had received the first penny and the last and all those between that came into their bargain, so that the said Gunnhild was well satisfied. In truth of this we hang our seals to this letter, which was made on the day and in the year stated above.
Original text
Ollum monnum þeim som þetta bref sea eder heyra sender Jngemar Jenson lagman a Vplandom Peder Benktson ok Sigurd Gottormson sworne logrettesmen a Þotne q. g. ok sina kunnight gørande at meer warom a Hofwe a fordom Þotne j prestgardenom søndaghen nest æpter sancte Olafs dag anno domini m cd xl vii saghom ok hørdom a at Gunnild . . . . . .
Background
Magnhild Oddsdatter of Finne at Voss was later married to Alv Knutsson of Tre Rosor, and the two built up a large landed estate in Toten, Hedmarken and Romerike. This letter is older than her other purchases in Toten, and it is probably the same woman. That she is already called «Lady» in 1447 suggests that she was married, and a witness letter from 1475 names «Sir Bent Hartviksson and Lady Magnild» as receiving land rent from a farm in Toten (DN 1/912). This may mean that she was married to Bent Hartviksson before Alv, but that is an inference. Havseldebol is a land-rent unit whose meaning is uncertain. The parsonage at Hoff was a natural meeting place for such dealings in the district.
People: Magnhild Oddsdatter